The New Hunger Games
by AndyBeirsackEatsPaper-Winkwink
Summary: Okay, I kind of changed the series a bit  just some tweaking  so it would fit with this, but it's virtually the same. Katniss and Peeta are asked to train kids for the New Hunger Games, but will Katniss be able to handle her trainee? T for situations
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – I don't own the Hunger Games. Duh.**

**This kind of takes place before Katniss and Peeta have kids, but District Twelve is fully operational again. In a way, this doesn't really relate to the other books that much, but more of a totally different story of its own. I kind of changed a few things from the series too, but some things stayed the same. I think you'll catch on. **

. . .

The Hunger Games may be over, but that didn't stop the Capitol from coming up with new ways to make us suffer.

Sure, we had won. But we had also—by some means of insanity—agreed to let them organize a new type of Hunger Games. One where the children don't kill each other, but rather, they fight for their own lives against superior forces. They aren't meant to die, but more so get to the center of an elaborate labyrinth of obstacles.

Peeta nudged my shoe with his. We were standing at the train station with Haymitch, waiting. District Twelve was identical in looks to the way it had been before I left for my Hunger Games, but there was a difference. Most of the original residents were dead. In fact, as far as I knew, Haymitch, Peeta, and I were the only ones.

The train would be taking us to the Capitol. They were much better now, less . . . evil, I suppose. Effie was doing her best to keep things in order, but she couldn't stop all the crazy ideas. Like this one for example.

All former Hunger Games victors that were still living were to be taken to the capital, where they would each be assigned a child to look after and train for the New Hunger Games. I had no idea who mine would be, or from which district. There would be twenty of us in all—the only ones still living.

It wasn't like it used to be, where one boy and one girl from each district was chosen to compete. This time, they picked twenty names at random from every child in all of Panem. Ten boys and ten girls. It didn't matter which district they were from. For all we knew, they could all be from the same district. It didn't matter anymore. And there were no more volunteers, if you got picked, you _stayed_.

"I really don't like this," I said.

"Nor do I," Haymitch agreed. "But it's not like we can _do_ anything about it."

"It's not like they'll all die," Peeta promised. I knew he was silently adding,_ only most of them_.

We had gotten a little sneak peak of what the kids would be dealing with. Giant animals, poisonous plants, forest fires. Effie drew the line when they suggested throwing in a few psychopaths from the Capitol prison.

"I just hope all the kids are like . . . orphans or something," I said. "Think about how their parents must feel."

Haymitch shrugged. "Sweetheart, don't bother worrying about things that can't be changed. I'm more concerned that they'll stick me with some snotty kid who needs and attitude adjustment."

Peeta and I exchanged a look, but didn't say anything.

I thought about Prim as the train pulled into the station, and how much she'd have grown up by now if she had only been given the chance. She'd be twenty-five next month; maybe she'd have a boyfriend. Maybe she'd be in love. Maybe she'd even have plans to get married. Maybe she'd want kids. Maybe she'd _have_ kids. I would never know.

"Let's go, Katniss," Peeta said, taking my hand and helping me onto the train.

. . .

When we first arrived at the Capitol, I was overcome with sadness. I couldn't shake the bad memories.

"Ah!" I recognized the familiar shriek instantaneously. Effie.

A few moments later, she was giving Peeta and me a mega-bear hug. She even gave Haymitch a little squeeze.

"Oh you'll absolutely _love_ the children you've been assigned!" she promised. "I made sure they all matched your personalities."

"So Haymitch will have a drunken kid with and anger problem?" Peeta asked. Haymitch glared at him.

"Oh come and see," she said. "We've got video footage of all the children being called out."

We followed her into a big building, up an elevator, and into a conference room.

"We pulled all the names last week," Effie explained. "Then called all the families to the ceremony here in the Capitol yesterday, where we televised all the contestants."

She pressed a button on a universal remote, and a TV dropped from the ceiling.

"Sit!" she commanded perkily.

Peeta, Haymitch, and I sat down opposite side the TV. Effie sat next to us and pressed "play".

On the screen, it showed a big stage. There was a man standing there, wearing a sparkling blue tuxedo.

"The volume on this television's quiet, so don't be surprised if you can't hear," Effie added.

The first girl called up was from District Five. She looked about fifteen, and had long red hair and dark brown eyes. Next was a girl from District Ten, who was probably no more than twelve.

"Katniss, this next girl is yours," Effie told me.

This girl was from District Two. I didn't catch her name when the blue-tux man called it. She too looked around twelve-ish, with the look of someone from the Seam in District Twelve, which was odd. She had the same dark hair, olive skin, and gray eyes as me. Maybe one of her parents was originally from home . . . Unlike most of the children you see from District Two, she wasn't very muscular and didn't look as though she had been trained for the Hunger Games. As far as I knew, people still trained their kids over there. She did look athletic however, but it a totally different way. There was something familiar about her expression, and even the way she moved about the stage to reach her spot. I just couldn't put my finger on it . . .

Effie hit the fast-forward button and hit play as Peeta's contestant was called. He was a tall and lanky kid from District Seven. His name was Raven Black. Then came Haymitch's contestant. A somewhat bulky kid, probably about eighteen from District One. His name was Apollo Cinemark.

"When do we get to meet these kids in person?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," Effie said. "For now, go back to your hotel rooms, freshen up, and get a good night's rest for tomorrow."

_It's going to be a big, big, big day!_ I added in my head.

. . .

Peeta plopped down on the bed next to me. "Are you asleep?"

"If I was, did you really expect me to answer?" I asked him smartly.

"I supposed not," he admitted. Katniss—100,000,000,000,001. Peeta – 0.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Whatever. I'll try my hardest with the kid I guess, but once he's in there . . . Let's just say I won't be getting too attached."

Kind of like Haymitch. He _still_ acted like he hated Peeta and me.

"I guess that's a good strategy," I said. "But imagine how much better the winner's life will be. All they have to do is find the middle of this maze thing before everyone else and they're set for life."

"I'll bet you're contestant wins," he said.

"Maybe," I agreed jokingly. "I'm just _so_ great."

"You really are," he told me. The kissed me goodnight and shut off the lights.

I fell asleep almost instantly.

. . .

"Wake up!" Effie called. "It's going to be a big, big, big day!"

Called it, didn't I?

I rolled out of bed, grabbed some clothes and pulled them on. Effie met us at breakfast, where she practically shoved the food down our throats before taking us into the car that drove us to the contestants' hotel.

When we got there, I spotted mine right away. She was dressed in all black, with twin braids that rested on either shoulder. She looked a little gothic, but in a different way. Like she was friendly, but also intimidating.

I offered her my hand. "Hello, I'm Katniss."

"I'm Sagittaria," she said. "I guess we kind of match, then."

I gave her a small smile. Sagittaria was another name for the plant I was named for.

"We're supposed to sit down and get to know each other," she told me. I nodded and we walked over to a vacant booth. We sat down as a waiter brought us some ice water.

"You don't look much trained," I remarked without thinking.

She nodded. "I couldn't train for the Hunger Games even if I wanted."

"Why not?" I asked.

"My father _hates_ the Hunger Games," she replied. "They ruined his life. Something about a girl he used to love or something . . . He always says I'm the one good thing the Hunger Games resulted in."

In response to my questioning look, she added. "He was kind of drunk one night after the Capitol fell, and he started thinking about this girl he had loved. Then he got _really_ drunk and knocked up a total stranger. She gave me to him after I was born, then skipped town."

I had no idea what to say, so I just gave her kind of a half grin.

"I'm making you feel awkward . . . aren't I?" she asked. "Dad says I do that."

"He named you?" I asked.

She nodded. "He never really liked the name that much. I'm not sure why he named me it . . . but he always calls me Sage for short. You can too."

"Alright. Sage," I said. "That's pretty."

"Thanks. I like the name Katniss."

There was silence.

"You know," I told her. "My dad died when I was young, I only had my mom."

"I'd say I'm sorry, but that doesn't help. I mean . . . I hate when people tell me they're sorry about something that's not their fault. I feel bad that you lost your father and all. I don't know what I'd do without my dad."

I actually laughed. "I get that. I guess Effie was right, we are kind of well matched."

It was nice to finally meet someone who was so much like me. Almost . . . hostile with her conversation.

"You're married to that blonde boy, right?" she asked. I nodded. "My dad told me about him once. Said he was a decent guy."

"Your father's met Peeta?"

She shrugged. "He always made it sound so."

I thought on that for a moment. She was around twelve, so her father must be in his late thirties, early forties, right? Just to make sure . . . "How old is your father?"

Her lips scrunched up in the corner—something that looked vaguely familiar—as if she were thinking. "Nearly thirty-one."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up my head. "That's young to have a daughter of your age."

"He was nineteen when the . . . _incident_ happened," she explained. What a strange child. She could openly call herself a mistake, and admit that her father was very drunk when she was conceived, and she didn't even seem the slightest bit unnerved over it.

Her father was only two years older than me. I didn't even have children yet, and I couldn't imagine having a ten-year-old at this point in my life. Never mind a baby before I'd even turned twenty.

Peeta and Raven approached us.

"May we join you lovely ladies?" Peeta asked.

I pretended to be annoyed. "I _suppose_ so. If you must."

Peeta grinned and sat next to me. Raven joined Sage on the other side of the table.

"I'm Raven," he said.

"Sage," she replied. They shook hands. "I'm happy I'm not going to have to kill you."

He gave her a kind of half-smile-but-really-feeling-awkward looks. Her head shot up towards the ceiling and she looked upset with herself.

"Why am I so socially awkward?" she asked the roof.

Peeta laughed. "Wow, Effie sure knows you, huh, Katniss?"

I rolled my eyes, and decided I should help poor Sage out. "So, Sage. Did your father ever tell you more about this girl who died in the Hunger Games?"

Her nose wrinkled. "Not very much. In fact, he didn't even mention if she died. Might have been a victor . . . All I know is that she _wasn't_ from District Two. Nor is my dad. He came there afterwards . . . He's mentioned that she was beautiful though. And that she had made his life worth living in times of hardship. Then the Hunger Games tore them apart. She was smart with hunting. Says I'm like her in a lot of ways."

"You hunt?" I asked her, interested.

She nodded vigorously. "My father's been teaching me since before I could remember. We don't need to hunt or anything; we really do it more for fun. My dad makes more than enough money for two people at his weapon designing job."

"Your father builds weapons?" Peeta asked.

Sage looked uncomfortable with all the attention. She nodded. "So Raven, what do your parents do?"

"My mother runs a drug store, and my father works with the lumbar," Raven replied, like Peeta, he talked with confidence.

Haymitch and his contestant walked over to us. There was no more room in our booth, so Haymitch pulled up two chairs. He looked at Peeta and me. "Hello, Sweetheart, Mr. Sweetheart."

Peeta glared at him.

Apollo addressed Sage and Raven. "Nervous?"

They both nodded honestly.

"You should be," he replied. "Probably won't make it out alive."

So much like Haymitch . . .

We sat around making small talk after that, until Effie's spoon clanged against her wine glass, and everyone's eyes looked to where she was standing on stage.

"And now," she said. "I will call up all of our contestants by District. From District One, Apollo Cinemark."

There was clapping as Apollo took the stage.

"Also from District One, Mary Lin Baker." More clapping as a small teenage girl climbed the stage. She was probably seventeen-ish, but extremely short and skinny."

"From District Two we have Geo Lanbar," Effie called. Geo took the stage. A tall, thin boy about fourteen-ish.

"Also from District Two, Matthew Freeson." He took the stage as well. A short older kid, with light hair that fell in his eyes.

"And last but not least from District Two," Effie said. "Sagittaria Hawthorne!"

Sage got up and took the stage.

My emotions kind of when like this – excitement, realization, confusion, more realization, nausea.

"Hawthorne?" Peeta asked weakly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer – I don't own the Hunger Games**

. . .

I knew she looked familiar! How had I not put the pieces together? She looked like she was from the Seam. Her father was two years older than I. He had loved a girl in the Hunger Games. Her name was another for Katniss. Her dad made weapons for a living and wasn't originally from District Two. He taught her to hunt. And then there was the biggest clue of all, her last name!

I had been assigned _Gale's_ daughter! Had Effie done this purposely? Surely not . . .

I didn't pay attention at all while the rest of the names were called. Not even a little bit. I was too preoccupied, wondering if Gale even knew who his daughter's trainer would be. And then feeling bad for him, because this could possibly be the second girl he loved who was lost to the Hunger Games.

"Come on," Peeta said. "There must be other Hawthorne's out there . . . in District Two . . . who make weapons for a living . . . and like to hunt . . . and are from the Seam . . ."

I know he was trying to help, but the more he spoke the worse it got.

"I'm going to have to tell him if Sage dies. That's one of the rules; the family must be notified before its broadcast. I'm her trainer, so I have to tell him," I said. "And if she doesn't die, I have to see him at the banquet for all the contestants afterwards. And if she wins, I have to do an interview with him."

Peeta gulped. "This is not good."

"Don't tell her anything," I said. "Not that we know her dad. She doesn't know, and I have a feeling Gale didn't tell her for a reason."

"You just want to protect her," Peeta told me.

"I do not!" I protested.

"Yes you do," he insisted. "You think this is like . . . you second chance with Gale. To set things right. You think that if you save his daughter in the Games, it'll be the equivalent to never having broken his heart. You're indirectly erasing a debt."

"I am not!" I said. But I knew he was right. Damn, I hate when he does that.

Each of the competitors is asked to do an on-the-spot speech that no one had previously known about. I see Sage almost smile to herself, although I don't know why. It's very clear that this child does _not_ like to be in the spotlight.

Apollo went first. His speech went like this; "Okay so . . . basically, we all have to go into a maze and stuff and find this freaking center place, and then we win. Personally, I don't understand it, but whatever, you know? We're probably all gonna die and stuff or something—" he stopped to rub some crust from his eyes. "—I'm gonna try and get super drunk the night before they start though. That way I'll be too hung over to care what the hell is going on."

He then stepped off the stage, and I suddenly realized why Effie had matched him with Haymitch. Revenge for all those smart comments.

I looked at Haymitch, and saw that he was holding his head in his hands. "Damn that woman . . ." he was muttering.

"Aw, Haymitch," Peeta said. "Just take this kid out for a drink, get super drunk yourself, then the next morning you won't be coherent enough to pay attention to what he's doing wrong."

Haymitch made a very rude hand gesture commonly used in bars back home.

After District One finished, District Two's kids started speaking. I didn't really pay attention until Sage came up.

She smiled right at the camera, like she would probably at her best friend. "Hello. My name is Sagittaria Hawthorne. I hate the Capitol. I get that it's better than before, but they're still cruel enough to throw twenty-four kids into an arena by themselves and pretty much say 'Uh, there you go! Good luck staying alive; we'll ship your body to your parents if you die!' It's not right, it's not humane. Everyone hear can eat shit. Thank you!"

She skipped off the stage—not at all matching her gothic look by the way—and sat back down at our table. I realized that she reminded me a lot of Prim when she skipped. Everything else about her was different, but she skipped in the same youthful way. Like she didn't expect bad things to happen.

She'll learn.

"That was for my dad," she growled, a fake smile still plastered on her face.

This _was_ Gale's daughter.

. . .

Later that night, I figured out why Sage was particularly mad at the Capitol. They were showing the recap of the contestants being called up on stage on the TV, and this time I got to watch the whole thing.

"Sagittaria Hawthorne!" the man in the tux called.

Sage took the stage with sad eyes.

That was the part Effie had stopped at. The next part would just be the contestants back round information, nothing important.

"Wait!" a familiar voice yelled as when Sage was in her place. Gale.

He came running on stage after her, only to be stopped by three guards, which he appeared to be overcoming. More guards came.

"You can't just take our children like this!" Gale shouted. "It isn't right! Don't take my daughter!"

There were tears streaming down his face and I realized that Gale seriously loved Sage. Not like he loved me, and not like he loved his friends, but he loved her as his daughter. Gale had really grown as a person, matured. And I . . . hadn't.

"Sir!" one of the guards said to him. "Sir, you need to calm down!"

"Give our children back!" Gale yelled, still struggling. The idea of Gale yelling at someone to give back his child totally didn't compute in my brain. Imagine seeing your childhood best friend—whom you haven't seen in years—attack people for taking his child. And not just any childhood friend, but the somewhat reckless and rebellious childhood friend that went hunting with you illegally.

Gale as a father = _Whaaaat?_

Gale wouldn't stop fighting, despite the guards protests. At least that about him had stayed the same. He could never go down without a fight.

One guard realized that Gale wasn't stopping anytime soon, so he tazed him. Just like that, right there on live TV.

There was only time for you to hear Sage scream, "DAD!" and watch Gale fall down before the screen went black. When it came back, the next contestant was being called.

New Capitol, same tricks. I really wish Effie would just get elected president already . . .

"That was bizarre," Peeta remarked. I nodded in agreement.

"Think about it," Haymitch said. "Gale Hawthorne . . . a dad."

"Think about this," Peeta added "Gale Hawthorne drunk at a bar, doing it with a stranger."

I plugged my ears. "La, la, la, la! I'm not listening."

"Her virgin ears!" Haymitch cried, laughing hysterically. Great, someone was back on the alcohol.

"Must we have this conversation?" I asked.

Peeta shook his head quickly, and for good measure, slapped his hand over Haymitch's mouth. "Nope."

. . .

The next day, training began. We could do whatever we wanted with our kids, take them anywhere, and teach them anything. New policy.

I decided to take Sage hunting.

"Oh . . ." she said sadly. "I don't have anything to wear hunting. I didn't figure I'd be able to go."

"Well . . . I'm sure I have an extra jacket," I told her. "And maybe you could just wear sweat pants under your jeans."

Her face lit up. "Alright! I'll go get my bow!"

Bow, huh? Oh, Gale . . . He was a pretty great shot, just not a great teacher, and I couldn't help but wonder how much worse Sage was.

About twenty minutes later, I realized that she wasn't worse than he. In fact, she was even more skilled. _Much_ better. Just as good as I was when I was twelve, if not better.

"Who taught you to shoot like that?" I asked her as I targeted a small squirrel.

"I kind of had to teach myself," she admitted. "Dad's not exactly a poor shot, he's actually pretty good. But I'm already better than him."

I laughed, remembering the first time Gale had tried to shoot something. It hadn't ended well.

"I taught myself too," I told her. "After a little help from my own father. It's the best way to learn."

She nodded in agreement as she took aim at a possum. _Swish._ Right through the eye. Gale must have taught her that trick.

"So . . ." I said. "Nervous about the games?"

Sage lowered her bow. "I'm not sure. I know that either way—whether I survive or not I mean—my life will be permanently ruined. The games will make it so I'll never be able to have a normal life. I know that's why my dad's so worried about me. He's upset that my life will be over before it really starts. Any chances of me being normal are gone."

I realized another thing I had in common with this girl; both of our lives ended around the same age. When my dad died, I became the main supporter for my family. Any chance of me growing up and getting married had become very slim. The moment I started the Hunger Games they all but disappeared. By some stroke of luck, I got Peeta. People like Gale and Sage weren't going to be so lucky.

"My dad's father died when he was only a year older than I am now," Sage explained. "He had to take care of his big family all by himself. He says that's the reason he never married. He had too much to worry about with the family he was in, never mind another one."

"Do you see your other family?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I've never met any other family besides my dad."

That was a shock to me. The idea that Gale had never even _introduced_ his daughter to his family . . .

"They actually don't know I exist," Sage added. "It's just dad and I."

What? Gale hadn't even _told_ his family he had a kid? That means he must not have spoken with any of them in twelve years.

Later that night, I told Peeta what Sage had told me, about Gale not mentioning her to his family. Haymitch overheard and walked over to us.

"Well of course not," he said. "Gale's a smart boy. Knows better than to get his family involved with his kid. Not until she's nineteen."

"Why not?" Peeta asked, but I understood.

"So there are less people mourning if she's entered and killed in the games," I told him.

"Well, there's a fatal flaw in Gale's master plan," Haymitch said. "Vick and Posy are working at the games this year. They're bound to run into their niece eventually."

"What?" I asked. Vick and Posy? How old were they now? Posy would be around 17, Vick near twenty-two. "Where are they working?"

"It's their job to socialize the kids with the possible sponsors. That's another new policy this year, all the contestants are required to go to this big fancy dinner with all these rich people, and get on their good sides. Vick and Posy signed up to help for a little extra money."

"How do you know?" Peeta asked.

"Hazelle and I kind of became friends when she used to clean my house," Haymitch reminded him. "I've kept in touch."

"We have to tell them," I said. "It'll kill them if they find out later."

Peeta thought for a moment. "_You_ can tell them."

"Fine," I agreed. "Haymitch, when's the stupid dinner thing?"

"Tomorrow," Haymitch said. "And Meet the Mentors is the day after. You know, the day when parents come in to speak with their child's trainer? Another new policy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – I don't own the Hunger Games. **

. . .

I learned very quickly that Sage Hawthorne kept her gracefulness solely to the woods.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed as she walked into yet another person in the hall outside the elevator, knocking things out of his hands. This one was probably around her age, give or take a year.

"It's fine, really," he said, grabbing up the papers. When he looked back up, I recognized his face. Same hair, same green eyes . . .

Finnick Odair. Or at least, his son.

He recognized me too. "Aunt Katniss?"

I hadn't seen the kid since he was four, and Annie had come to visit Peeta and I and Haymitch back in Twelve, so I was surprised he remembered me. "Hey, Finn."

His name wasn't Finn. It was Finnick Odair Junior, but it hurt Annie too much to even say Finnick's name, so we called him Finn.

After he died, Annie kind of lost it. Sunk deeper into her world, barely ever uncovered her ears. When we found out she was pregnant, we were worried. But having a baby around seemed just the thing she needed. She still wasn't all there, but I think Finn gave her a reason to try, and that was enough.

"Are you here with your mother?" I asked him.

He nodded. "She's mentoring a girl from Five."

Of course, Annie was a surviving victor. Finnick would be here too, if it wasn't for me. I felt that familiar pang of guilt just thinking about my dead friend. There were a lot more than just Finnick Odair, though.

"Would you like to see her?" Finn asked. "She's back in our room."

I nodded and Sage and I followed him to his mother and his room of the hotel.

"Mom!" he yelled when we entered.

"Finny?" I heard Annie call back from a different room. Finn turned bright red.

Annie entered the room, whipping her hands on her jeans. They were covered in something that looked like flour. Peeta had gotten her into baking when she and Finn came to visit all those years ago.

"Hey, Annie!" I greet, unable to contain the smile on my face.

"Katniss!" she exclaimed happily. She walked over and hugged me. Her hair wasn't messy, in fact, it looked pretty good. Unless you got a good look at her hallow eyes, you'd never guess she was sort of crazy. "I was waiting to run into you and Peeta. Who's this?"

"This is Sage," I say. "She's my trainee."

Annie looked at her, head slightly tilted. Her eyes then grew wide, almost as if . . .

"Gale!" she shrieked. "No, no, no!"

Her hands flew up to her ears and her eyes shut.

"Oh mom," Finn mumbled. He walked over and started speaking to her, the way Finnick used to so she'd be pulled back into reality.

"How did she know my father's name?" Sage asked. "Who is that?"

Something struck me then. Why didn't Sage know that I knew her father? I get that he probably had never told her about me, but hadn't she seen reruns of my Hunger Games (either of them) on TV? They interviewed Gale in both, I assume. And why didn't she recognize Annie? They showed her Games a lot, too.

"Sage . . . have you ever seen a Hunger Games?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Dad wouldn't let me ever. I knew about you though, a little. Everyone knows about Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire. They teach about you in school."

"Do they?" I ask. I was still a little put off about her never seeing a Hunger Games, and then being thrown into the arena.

"Hey, Aunt Katniss?" Finn asked, still trying with his mother. "I'm sorry . . . could we just meet up later at that stupid dinner thing?"

"You're going to that?" I asked. He nodded. "Alright. Come on, Sage."

We left the room and walked down the hall for a few minutes until we found Peeta and my room.

"What time does that dinner thing start, anyway?" Sage asked.

"Five," Peeta told her, taking my sweater from me and hanging it up on the hook. Raven was there, sitting on the couch looking bored.

"Go talk with Raven," I told Sage. She looked annoyed, but followed orders anyway.

I walked up to Peeta. "How do you think Paylor's going to react to Sage's little . . . speech?"

He shrugged. "Probably not too well. Paylor's nice enough, but she'll be sure to get a little revenge in. Probably mess around with the video's they're showing to the sponsors later at dinner. Not a big deal."

"How is that not a big deal?" I asked. "Sponsors are everything!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're her mentor; they'll sponsor her just for _you." _

He was probably right, so I didn't say anything.

. . .

As soon as we walked into the dinner, we were assigned our socializers. Special thanks to Effie, Sage got Vick and Posy.

"Katniss!" Posy exclaimed when she saw me. Vick, Posy, Rory and Hazelle had all moved back to Twelve, but I didn't get to see them as often as I used to. Gale wasn't there anymore, so what was the point?

"Hey guys," I said. I hadn't seen them in almost two years, despite living in the same area. It had mostly to do with a bunch of recent trips to the Capitol, trying to get them to cancel the New Hunger Games. It was a no go, obviously.

"Wow, you got a District Twelve?" Vick asked, looking at Sage. Her stylist had piled on the dark make up; lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow . . . the works. Her black hair fell in a straightened sheet over half her face, ending bellow her nose. The rest of her hair was braided across her shoulder, down to her rib cage. She had on a black dress and black shoes. Embrace the gothic.

"Nope," I said.

"Oh come on!" He gestured to her. "She's clearly from the Seam!"

"Sage, go play find Finn and Annie, would you?" I ask. She nodded and scurried off into the crowd to find the two people who I knew hadn't yet arrived.

"Well," I said to Vick and Posy when Sage was out of earshot. "I know that at least one of her parents is from the Seam. Not sure about the other though . . . She's from District Two."

"Gale lives in District Two," Posy said. I don't know how she remembered this; she had been only five when Gale moved away.

Something seemed to click in her brain then. "Oh no . . . you don't mean . . . no."

I nodded grimly. "You just met Sagittaria Hawthorne."

Vick's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Gale has a kid?"

"I'll kill him!" Posy added. "Is that why he moved away? Why he hasn't contacted us in twelve years?"

I nodded. "He got drunk apparently. Knocked some stranger up, she didn't want the kid. Sage was left with him."

"He has a weapon designing job, yes?" Vick asked. "We could use that with the sponsors when they get here."

"Is that seriously what you're thinking about now?" Posy asked. "We have a niece that we didn't even know about! Oh my God, Mom's going to _kill_ Gale! She'll cut off his . . . parts."

"Probably," Vick agreed. "But he deserves as much. He _left_ us, Posy. Don't forget that."

"We owe it to him to help Sage," Posy insisted. "He was like a dad to us all my life, and most of yours."

"Besides," I added. "Sage isn't her dad. She didn't do anything wrong, right?"

"I guess not. And it'd be pretty cool to have a niece. Rory still can't find himself a girlfriend . . ."

"What time to the sponsors start showing up?" I asked.

"About half an hour," Posy told me. "Then we're all going to eat, then get up and talk. There will be wine, but the underage kids are only allowed one glass each."

"_Only?"_ I repeated. She laughed.

"Oh, and does Sage know who we are?" Vick asked.

"No," I told him. "Don't mention it either. She doesn't even know who_ I_ am. Gale never let her watch the Games."

At this point we had to stop talking because Sage was returning with Finn and Annie. Annie looked better than she had before, but still a little shaken.

"Hey," I said. "Do you guys want to go sit? Haymitch and Peeta should be here soon with Apollo and Raven."

"Get a table," Annie murmured. "Table . . . table."

We walked around for a little while, searching for one a decent size. Annie's contestant, a small boy from District Five named Eric, stayed silent the entire time. His two socializers were a husband and wife. The husband was an Avox, and I didn't really understand how that would work, but I stayed silent.

I counted the number of people in my head. _Sage, Posy, Vick, Annie, Finn, Eric, the husband and wife, Peeta, Raven, his two socializers, Haymitch, Apollo, and two more socializers. That makes 16 . . ._

"Here's a table that seats twenty over there," Posy pointed out. We walked over to it and sat down. Ten minutes later, Johanna spotted us and sat down with her contestant and two socializers. That made twenty even. Peeta and Haymitch came along a little later, both looking exhausted. Probably due to having both spent that last hour with Apollo.

Johanna's contestant was a girl from District Eleven. Her dress had an orange on it.

"Finnick," Annie kept muttering under her breath. "Finnick. Here . . . Finnick. Finnick. Finnick."

Johanna gave her a sympathetic look. "So Finn, what's new?"

"Not much," he said. "You?"

"Same ole same ole," Johanna replied.

An awkward silence followed. We were all kind of hungry, but it would be fifteen minutes before the Sponsors got here, so we weren't allowed to eat.

"So!" Posy exclaimed, trying to sound upbeat. "Sage, tell Vick and I a little more about you. We need to know who we're introducing, right?"

"I guess," Sage agreed. The spotlight was back on her, and I could tell she didn't like it. "Um . . . I like to hunt, my dad takes me. He works at a place that designs weapons. I don't know my mom. I'm not very good at anything special."

"Oh come on," Vick said. "Everyone's good at something."

"Like I said," she replied. "I hunt."

"There must be something else," Posy insisted. She paused for a moment, as if trying to think of something. She snapped her fingers. "You can sing, can't you?"

Sage's cheeks flared up bright red, but she didn't say anything.

"Come on," Posy pleaded. "You need to perform on stage later tonight anyway, right? I know a few kids are speaking again, some are playing instruments. You could sing! Isn't there a special song you want to send to your dad?"

Sage's face changed. "Maybe . . ."

"Okay then, it's settled!" Posy exclaimed. She was starting to remind me of Effie in a scary way.

I leaned over to Peeta. "If she wakes us up saying it's going to be a 'big, big, big day!' we'd better shoot her down."

"Agreed," he said. "Before the madness spreads."

We both cracked smiles.

After we had eaten and Vick and Posy had helped the sponsors get to know Sage a little bit better, we were all asked to sit down for the performance time.

Apollo was called first. He went up and played a song on his little banjo thing. Since they had the boys go first, the next one I knew who went up was Annie's kid, Eric, from Five. He read a speech that he wrote, in honor of his district. When Raven went up, he told jokes. He was actually pretty funny. Finally, the girls started. Sage walked onto the stage, and announced that she was going to sing a song for her father, who taught it to her as a baby.

"_Are you, are you_

"_Coming to the tree?" _Oh, Gale . . .

"_Where they strung up a man they say murdered three_

"_Strange things did happen here_

"_No stranger would it be_

"_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."_

She finished the song, her beautiful voice echoing through the hall. There was a standing ovation, and several requests for more, but she returned to her seat without another word.

"You have a lovely voice," Peeta told her.

She didn't say anything. Johanna's girl took the stage and did a native District Eleven dance.

Soon after, the video back round began. A big screen dropped from the ceiling, and a projector turned on from one of the tables. This time the girls went first, so Sage was up second.

Her video was a clip from a security cam, of two people walking down the street. A man and a girl. Gale and Sage.

"Oh no . . ." Sage moaned quietly. "Anything but this."

Both of them had there hoods drawn up, and bows slung over their backs like you might have a guitar. Something was wrong though. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, yet they weren't leaving foot prints.

"Beetee," Sage whispered. "He's a genius."

I looked harder at the screen and realized that they both had little brooms attached to the heel of their boots, whipping away their tracks. The camera view kept changing, due to the fact that Sage and Gale were walking down the street and the security cams kept switching to keep them in view. Gale and Sage stopped suddenly, in front of one. At first I was confused, but then I noticed Sage's arm pull back, as if she was yawning. As her arm leaned back, it snatched a bow, and when her pretend stretch ended, and arrow was shot as the camera, and the screen when fuzzy. When clarity returned, it was from a different camera and they were on a different street.

"Good job," Gale told her. It was hard to hear him, but there were subtitles.

"Yes, sir," Sage replied.

"Nice," I whispered to her. "Take out the camera, resurface somewhere else. They didn't get good shots of your face so they can't prove that it's you in both places. Don't address your dad as your father; they won't put you together as easily."

"Thanks," she replied. "How'd you know that was my dad?"

"Lucky guess," I lied, covering up my mistake. I returned my attention to the screen. The pair was walking swiftly, and I saw the less-clumsy person Sage became in the woods. Her steps were confident, as if she felt superior to everything around her.

Every now and then, Sage would stretch and take out another camera. Eventually, they came to a fence, Sage shot the last camera, but the wind took it and it hit the camera in the wrong space. The picture turned black and white, but we could still see them. Clearly, Sage and Gale didn't notice, because they climbed over the fence anyway.

"Ready to hunt?" Gale asked.

"Oh yeah," Sage replied.

The screen went black.

"She showed me as a criminal," Sage said. "Payback for that speech I made. No one wants to sponsor a girl who hunts illegally."

At first I thought she was joking, but then I remembered she had no clue who I really was.

"I wonder how Gale's going to react to that," Peeta whispered to Haymitch and me.

"He's not," Haymitch said. "Parents don't see any of this. No one does. People don't even know who the mentors are until the end, for safety reasons."

"So what you're saying," Peeta said. "Is that Gale doesn't even know Katniss is Sage's mentor?"

Haymitch shook his head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer – I don't own the Hunger Games**

. . .

Sage was pretty much silent the rest of the night.

"That was a bad idea," Apollo told her when all the sponsors were gone and we were walking Apollo, Raven, and Sage back to their rooms.

"What was a bad idea?" Sage asked.

"Singing that song," Apollo replied. "Do you know what it's about?"

Sage thought for a moment. "Love . . . Protection . . ."

"How do you figure?" Apollo asked using that sarcastic tone that mimicked Haymitch's perfectly.

Finn, who was walking along with us—I thought he could use a little break from Annie, she was bad tonight—replied, "Because, the man who was hanged knows that bad things will happen to the woman he loves if she doesn't die first, because there are things worse than death. He's protecting her by welcoming her to death with him."

"That's stupid," Apollo said.

"No it's not!" Sage exclaimed. "When you love someone, you know that sometimes death can be sweet relief."

Apollo shrugged as if he still didn't believe it. "Whatever, dude."

"They're right, you know," Raven agreed. "My father killed our cat after it was hit by a car so it wouldn't have to suffer. My mother or the vet probably could have saved her, but she would have been in pain, so my dad shot her."

"That's just being humane," Apollo countered. "Animal shelters do that all the time in the Capitol."

"Whatever," Sage said. "I don't feel like arguing. Besides, you were right about it being a bad idea. That was an old rebel song my dad would sing to me. I know Paylor was on the rebel side, but that song is still considered bad news. Other people from the Old Capitol will want me punished, and since they can't punish me, they'll go for the one the song was for. They'll go for my dad."

"You don't know that," Peeta told her comfortingly. He was lying, though; she did know that. And so did he, and so did Haymitch and so did Apollo and so did Raven and so did Finn and so did I. Gale would have to pay.

"He has scars on his back," Sage murmured. "Long, pink scars. He said it was a bad memory . . ."

Finn looked at her sympathetically. He knew what it was like to not have a dad; he had never even known his.

.

"_Aunt Katniss?" he had asked._

"_Yeah, sweetie?" I replied. _

"_What was my daddy like?" he asked. "Mommy won't tell me."_

_I figured he had a right to know, so I told him what I thought he was old enough to know. "Your dad was a great man. He died for a great cause, and he did all he could to protect your mother before you were born. He was in the Hunger Games, and he won. He survived again when they had the Quarter Quell. He was a survivor . . ."_

_I remembered then how he had died, the horrible images snuck their way back into my brain. I suddenly knew how Annie felt, and knew why she didn't dare talk about Finnick to their son. She would have one of her fits, and she didn't want him to see that, not yet. She had been good about it. Not many had happened in the past four years, and all of them were when Finn wasn't around. Sometimes, she would send him out of the room until it was over. He wasn't old enough to understand. Not yet._

"_Why did he leave?" Finn asked. _

"_Oh, Finn . . ." I sighed. "He had to go."_

"_But why?" Finn asked. How do you explain death to a four-year-old?_

"_Because God needed his help," Peeta said quickly. As always, Peeta knew what to say. "He saw how good your father was on Earth, and needed his help, so he called him to heaven. Your dad didn't want to go, but he knew he had to, because it was important." _

_Finn had remained silent for a few moments, thinking over Peeta's words. "So . . . my daddy works in Heaven now?"_

"_Right," Peeta told him. "And you'll get to see him, some day."_

"_When?" Finn asked._

"_When God needs your help," Peeta replied. "Once he sees all the good things you've gone on Earth, he'll call you up to help him too." _

_Finn smiled. "That's nice."_

.

"Well, let's all get some sleep," I said. "Interviews tomorrow."

"And then the dreaded games!" Apollo cried with fake enthusiasm. "Puh-freaking-za. Wake me up when it's over."

He entered his room and shut the door. Raven's room was right next to his, and he left as well. After that, we walked Sage up another flight of stairs to her bedroom.

"Guess you're next, kido," Peeta said to Finn. Our hotel was on the next street over. We were in different buildings this year, but we didn't know why. New Policy.

"Alright."

We hopped in a cab, because even though our hotel was in walking distance, it was dark and cold out.

"You're mom's back at your room, right?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah I'm pretty sure."

There was silence for a few moments. Peeta broke it by asking, "So what'd you think of Sage, Finn?"

His cheeks turned a little pink. "She's nice, I guess. I liked the song she sang."

"She's cute, huh?" Haymitch asked teasingly.

Finn shrugged. "I suppose."

That caused a thought to form in my scattered-up brain. Finn looked so much like Finnick had. He had the same bronze hair, the same green eyes and tanned skin, and Finnick had been forced into prostitution. Would the Old Capitol members make Finn do the same? No . . . they couldn't. They wouldn't.

Finn was really blushing now, so I threw him a line. "Think Eric got some sponsors?"

He took it. "Oh yeah! His socializers were _great_; Mom didn't have to talk at all!"

He sent me a thankful look. I thought it was nice, Finn's little crush.

"Do you know who Sage's father is?" Haymitch asked, totally ignoring the subject change.

Finn looked confused. "No . . ."

"Gale," Haymitch told him.

"No way!" Finn exclaimed. "Like, _the_ Gale? The one from District Twelve?"

He nodded.

"That's so weird . . ." Finn muttered. "But Sage doesn't know who you guys are? Didn't she at least see it on TV? You reruns are on a lot, and Gale was interviewed a few times in each."

"She was never allowed to watch them," Peeta explained. "This is understandable."

"Who's her mother?" Finn asked.

"We don't know," I told him. "Some stranger. Sage says she was the result of Gale getting _very_ drunk."

Finn made a face. "Ew."

Haymitch opened his mouth to say something, but then he must have realized that Finn was only twelve, because he shut it again.

. . .

_Interview day, _I thought as I woke up.

"Katniss!" Peeta cried from the living room area of our hotel suite. It sounded urgent. I jumped out of bed and ran in.

"What?"

"Look!" Peeta was holding the remote, and used it to point at the TV. He pressed play. It was a news broadcast. There was a man, facing the opposite direction, chained up by his wrists. He was about to be whipped, I knew because this is how Gale looked. The new caster's voice said, "A man from District Two was convicted of hunting illegally this morning. He was _whipped_ by local law enforcement, despite the new law changes making it illegal to physically harm someone who has committed a crime unless for self-defense. All the officers claim to have 'forgotten' about the new rule change and are being excused from all charges."

One of the police men ripped off the man's shirt, revealing long, pink scars down his back. When the whip crashed down, the old wounds reopened, and the man cried out.

All my suspicions had been confirmed when he screamed. This was Gale, paying for Sage's mistake.

. . .

Sage had seen the news, unfortunately. She was beside herself.

"My dad was beaten and it was _my_ fault! I'm a terrible daughter!" she exclaimed.

"No," I insisted. "He was probably so proud that you had the guts to do that."

She didn't seem convinced, but she stopped talking after that. I considered it progress and moved on. "You have your interview tonight with Caesar. Are you ready?"

She nodded. "Haymitch advised I go for a shy approach to make up for last night."

"Probably a good idea," I agreed. "Shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"

She shook her head. We spent the rest of the day practicing for the interview, going over questions he'd probably ask. I wouldn't let her stylist have her until I was sure she was ready. Not because I was worried about her, but because I was worried about what would happen to Gale if she slipped up again.

. . .

Apollo was called first. His interview went moderately well, he used sarcastic humor and used his good looks to make the girls in the crowd get light headed. His stylist was smart; she had dressed him so some of his too-large muscles showed very clearly. Next was the girl from District One. Then it was time for District Two.

The other two tributes went first, and then Sage took the stage.

"So, Sagittaria Hawthorne, welcome!" Caesar greeted her.

"Thank you," Sage replied politely in a small voice.

"So, Sagittaria, is it true that people call you Sage?"

She nodded shortly. _So far so good . . ._

"Can you tell us anything about your life back home in District Two?" he asked.

"I live with my dad," she said, keeping her eyes down. It was hard to tell if she was putting on an act, or acting normally. I suspected the latter because that's how I had seen her talk before around strangers.

"No mom?" Caesar asked.

Sage shook her head. "I never knew her."

I felt Finn squirm beside me. He had been allowed backstage with his mother to watch the show.

"Oh that's so sad," Caesar said. "Little girls need their mothers to . . . tie bows in their hair and . . . buy them pink dresses!"

Sage looked at him like he was crazy. The audience laughed. She was dressed in her familiar black clothing, with black makeup and spikey hair. Not exactly a little girl with bows and pink dresses.

Caesar was doing that thing where he helps you out without letting other people noticed. I liked him for that.

"So, what do you and your dad do for fun?" he asked.

"Well, he makes weapons for a living," Sage said. "Sometimes I help him out with work. He designs them all himself."

"Really?" Caesar asked. "What's his name? Does he make weapons for the Games?"

Sage shrugged. "I'm not sure, actually. His name's Gale Hawthorne."

Hearing her say it made it seem more . . . real. This was Gale's daughter. Gale was her father. I think that was almost weirder than Gale having a daughter. Having someone call Gale 'dad'. . ."

Caesar's mouth dropped. "_The_ Gale Hawthorne? The Gale Hawthorne that helped save the rebels?"

Sage nodded. "I guess so."

The rest of the interview was pretty boring. When it ended, the five tributes from District Four went (no children were picked from Three this year, by chance. There was one from five, two from Six, four from Seven, three from Eight, two from Nine, one from Ten, one from Eleven, and two from Twelve.

"You did well," Finn told Sage.

"Thanks," she murmured.

"I never knew my dad," he told her. "But my mom's great when she's not being crazy."

That made her smile a little. "My dad's great too. You're father . . . he was Finnick Odair, wasn't he?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah . . ."

"Then my dad knew your dad. When they were both fighting as rebels," Sage told him.

Finn smiled. "That's good. Better than them being enemies."

Sage nodded.

. . .

"The Games start tomorrow," Peeta said as he climbed into bed next to me. "Are you ready?"

"Of course not," I replied honestly. "I just hope the kids are. Who knows what these New Games will be like . . ."


End file.
